Maritime Tensions Reveal Troubling Status Quo in Inter-Korean Relations

Tensions flared again between the two Koreas on May 22 as the two countries exchanged artillery fire across the Northern Limitation Line (NLL), the conflict-ridden maritime border claimed by the South Korean government.

On May 20, South Korean naval vessels fired ten warning shots at three North Korean patrol boats that were spotted south of the NLL. Although the offending ships withdrew without incident that day, Pyongyang issued a strongly worded condemnation on May 21 when the spokesperson from the Korean People’s Army claimed that the North Korean military would open fire on any South Korean ships found in the disputed maritime frontier.